Merrill, Toolson Named AP All-Americans
Apr 2, 2019, 11:39 AM
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images and Utah Valley Athletics)
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images and Utah Valley Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – With the Final Four this weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Associated Press released their All-Americans. Two players from the state of Utah were honored.
Utah State guard Sam Merrill and Utah Valley guard/forward Jake Toolson were named AP All-American Honorable Mentions.
Merrill had a fantastic season with Utah State, leading the team to a 28-7 record, including a 15-3 mark in conference play. The Aggies won a share of the regular season conference title and beat San Diego State to win the Mountain West Tournament Championship. He was named Conference Player of the Year after he averaged 20.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
Utah State notched their highest seed in the NCAA Tournament in school history when they were a No. 8-seed. They lost to Washington in the first round of the tournament.
Toolson had an outstanding season for the Wolverines. He led the team to a 25-10 record and 12-4 in the WAC. They lost to Grand Canyon in the WAC Tournament Semifinals. Utah Valley advanced to the second round of the CBI before losing to USF.
The redshirt junior from Gilbert, Arizona averaged 15.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He shot 53 percent from the field, 44 percent from downtown and 85 percent from the free-throw line. The BYU transfer earned WAC Player of the Year honors.
